The Lone Wolf
by AlQaholic
Summary: Condemned to an ever-changing existence, a temporal nomad finds himself in a new world with new opportunities. Times have changed and so has he. The only question is: For the better?
1. Inception

Chronos he called himself. But that wasn't his real name.

He was a new recruit and a man shrouded in mystery. When he joined, Winston was initially suspicious of his shadowed past and asked Athena to do some background checks figuring something would turn up, but alas, nothing. Troubling, seeing as they would know nothing about the man if anything serious involving him came up. For all he knew, the man might be secretly involved with Talon. The only thing they knew about him were the skills he possessed, and only the ones he bothered to show. It didn't help that he usually wasn't much of talker either; preferring to stay quiet and only speak when he had something important to say. Winston was skeptical to say the least.

Pharah thought it was all part of his charm. No one knew his story. Or so they thought.

Regardless of how anyone felt, Chronos had proven himself to her on day one.

* * *

 **1900 hours, somewhere in the Mediterranean**

"All right now, show us what you can do. Ready? Begin." Jack Morrison, also known as Soldier 76 watched from the sidelines with a clipboard as he observed the new guy. As part of the integration process, Winston had instructed him to evaluate the recruit's skills so they could build a dossier for him. Currently, they were in the training room. Everyone in Overwatch was required to know some level of martial arts in case they ever found themselves without their main weaponry. Jack paired the guy up with McCree, figuring he'd start there as the gunfighter wasn't the best at hand-to-hand.

Cigar in mouth, Jesse eyed the man. He was around his height and weight.

"Listen now, I'll go easy on ya this time cause you're new, but don't expect any favors after that."

Chronos didn't respond and just looked him in the eyes. A slight smile, undetectable, crept across his face.

The gap closed. McCree jabbed with the left. The new operative shifted, twisting his chest so the punch slid off like he was made of ice. McCree reacted, recoiling back his hand and readying the other. He followed up with a cross. This too missed as Chronos tilted his just enough.

Jesse stopped for a second. It was clear his ol' one-two wasn't going to do the trick this time. "You're a slippery son of a bitch aren't ya?"

The man just smiled back at him. All the while, Jack checked off some boxes.

McCree narrowed his eyes. "I'm gonna lay you out."

The gunslinger feinted at his opponent's face. Not even a flinch. McCree blindly threw his followup anyway, hoping it would collide with something. A fatal mistake. The man sidestepped his punch and grabbed him. Chronos easily threw all 180 lbs of the man the floor with a thud, sending his cigar flying out of his mouth and his ego with it. It hadn't lasted more than 10 seconds.

Sprawled out on the floor and defeated, McCree sighed. He looked up at the victor and much to his surprise was met, not with a smirk, but with a hand.

Chronos pulled him up.

"Gotcha, cowboy." The man finally spoke, offering a friendly laugh.

"Now ya see, that's why I use a gun." McCree chuckled.

"Pistols over punches, huh?"

"Damn straight."

"You know, I'm surprised gunslingers like you still exist."

"Oh yeah? They do. You just gotta look in the right places."

"Wish I could say the same for martial artists."

"What do you mean?"

Chronos looked around the room. "It seems, over the years, the art of hand-to-hand combat has gotten watered down." He gestured to the whole room.

McCree was about to question him further, but Soldier 76 came along, clipboard in hand, interested in testing him some more.

Jack checked off a few more boxes on his list. "Wow, that was impressive. You're a natural."

"Thanks. I'd like to think I learned from the best." He replied.

"So, Chronos right, I'll let you choose who you want to face next. Take your pick. Anyone."

He looked around the room. There were currently 2 other pairs sparring right now. Currently, it was Pharah versus Hanzo and D. Va versus Lucio.

His eyes stopped on a fierce woman. She fought like a demon. Definitely a cut above everyone else here, both in spirit and in skill.

"Hey." Chronos pointed at the woman fighting Hanzo. "what's her name?"

"Fareeha." McCree answered. "But, we just call her Pharah."

"I'll face her."

"Actually... I don't think you know her yet. She's a 4th dan black belt. The best hand-to-hand fighter here."

"Fuck the belt, I want to face her."

McCree and Jack looked at each other before turning back to the recruit.

"You said anyone." Chronos reminded them.

McCree put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Are you sure about that hombre? The gal's pretty handy with her fists. Not even Genji can beat her and he specializes in melee, although he's more of a sword guy."

"All the more reason to fight her. Lets call it testing the waters."

"Really? I call it testing your luck." Jack told him.

Chronos laughed. "Look, their fight is over." Before they knew it, he had already started walking over.

"You're not gonna stop him?" McCree inquired.

"It's his funeral." Jack said.

"It'll be yours too if Winston finds out you got the new recruit hurt."

"Eh, I kinda wanna see how this turns out."

Hanzo headed the exit of the training room, a taste of unwelcome defeat in his mouth and having gotten his fill of practice in. It bothered him, as he used to be a prodigy in martial arts when he was younger; now, it seems, he has become too reliant on his bow. He noticed an unfamiliar face pass him on his way. He looked back to see a man in strange clothing heading to replace him as Pharah's sparring partner. He donned scarred black robes along with a red sash around his waist; the few scars on his garments were from blades. He hadn't seen the guy around here before and the clothing definitely wasn't modern. The outfit looked oddly familiar to him - he recalled seeing them in a book on the history of martial arts. A similar outfit to his was donned by the very first martial artists in ancient China.

Interests piqued, he stopped walking to watch from the sidelines next to McCree and Jack. Perhaps this was worthwhile.

As Chronos walked up to the woman her features became more apparent. She was of the slim and fit type. Her skin smooth, a soft copper color. Her short, styled hair gave him the impression she was Egyptian - it was practical for combat yet beautiful at the same time.

Practical but beautiful.

A rare combination he thought, one he fancied. She wore black sweatpants and a white tee - a stark contrast to his own clothes which were not of this time, something he and his garments had in common. Just another reminder to get an outfit change. Someone like him really needed to blend in more, regardless of whether he wanted to or not - which he did.

"Hey, mind if I get a round in with ya?"

Pharah turned to look at the strange man behind her.

"I don't think I know you."

He got a good look at her contours. She was even more beautiful up close. Almost, god-like. Trying to remain on task, he reminded himself that he was a man of discipline, not desires; or at the very least he wasn't a slave to them. At the moment he was more interested in fighting her, but he wasn't sure how long things would remain that way.

 _Women. The eternal weakness of men._

"Yeah, I'm the new guy around here. I saw you fighting him." He pointed over his shoulder. "You were pretty good."

"Thank you. If you think I'm good you should see who taught me."

"So? What do you say?"

"I think your a little in over your head."

"Is that so?" He feigned arrogance.

"Yes. You're a rookie."

"You won't hit me."

His remark caught her attention. Just what he wanted.

"Try me. First to 3."

"Deal."

Chronos looked around taking note of the crowd. Lucio and had stopped fighting and stood on the sidelines with the others to watch. The rest of the Overwatch crew except Ana and Winston had walked in too. They had an audience. He hated audiences.

Both participants took a step back from each other and positioned themselves.

Pharah examined him. He was about her height. Only slightly taller. A bit heavier too, but weight wasn't always an asset in combat. "Are you ready?"

"Ready."

She took the initiative. With some momentum, she landed a kick on him that would knock even Reinhardt down. He flew back and was on his ass in less than a second.

Jack checked off some boxes.

"I knew this was a waste of time." Hanzo commented from the sidelines. "I'm going to get some rest. Goodnight." The bowman left the training hall, not to be seen 'til next morning.

"Pharah. One." The egyptian remarked.

"You still have two to go." Chronos picked himself up and got repositioned.

"Okay." What a foolish man she thought. "Are you ready?"

"Rea-."

In one quick motion, she had sweeped out his front leg from under him and he hit the ground once more.

"That's all I need to know." Jack checked off the last box and walked out. With him, the rest of the Overwatch crew went, shaking their heads as to why this man was so stubborn as to take her on. Chronos looked around. They were now the only ones left.

"Pharah. Two"

"One more to go."

"You're persistent."

"It helps."

Repositioned again, he entered his fighting stance.

This time he was the one who asked. "Are you ready?"

"Re-"

For her, there was no time to react. He was already next to her. In one deft, incredibly coordinated movement he had grabbed her and thrown her down with enough force that it knocked the wind out of her.

"One for the rookie." He joked.

Pharah groaned. "What was that?" A little puzzled, she looked up at him. Where's the newbie she was just destroying?

"The art of deception."

"Yeah. You had me fooled. Why didn't you just come out like that from the beginning?"

"I didn't want to show you up in front of your friends, if that sort of thing matters to you."

She grabbed his hand and he hoisted her up. "How considerate." Pharah laughed. The gesture didn't go unnoticed.

"Are we still playing?"

"Of course. A little more serious this time though, right?"

"Right."

"Are you ready?"

"Ready."

Pharah immediately made the first move so he couldn't. She threw a flurry of punches at the man. To her, they were fast but to him, he had all the time in the world to react. He weaved in between her fists with ease. In his eyes they took a long time to reach him, almost like watching an action movie in slow motion; it was almost as if he was gaining time. The serenity of the whole thing never seemed to get old. He was not invincible though. The body can only respond so fast.

Pharah couldn't believe it. She was throwing everything she had at the man yet not a single blow had been landed. How could he react so fast and with such consistency?

Instead of retaliating, he seized her fists, one after the other before letting them go, catching her by surprise.

Pharah eyed him curiously. "Impossible! If you're reacting that fast there's no way you're human. You're not an omnic are you?"

He grabbed one of her hands again and held it up to his chest. Sure enough he wasn't.

"You're something else. How are you doing it?"

"My mentor taught me; the mind is a powerful thing."

"Can you explain?"

"It's... a little complicated."

"Maybe you could tell me your story while your at it."

"Are you sure? It's gonna take a while."

"Oh I'm willing to listen."

They never finished the sparring match that day.

* * *

 **Not sure if I'll make this into a full story. Maybe I will.**


	2. Times Change

Chronos opened the door to his new home in the men's barracks. Winston had shown him earlier; a rather nice place which came bundled with its own washroom, wardrobe, although it was empty, a computer, and a TV all for use at his leisure. The bed looked rather enticing at the moment as it was late, him and Pharah had talked for a while. Resting upon where he'd be sleeping tonight were all his possessions - not much say the least: consisting of nothing more than a Chinese saber with a scabbard to match, a bow, and a run down quiver. The rest of his belongings he was wearing. The look on Winston's face when he'd seen that stuff. He was probably thinking he was going to have another Hanzo or Genji on his hands.

The room had a bittersweet feeling to it. His master would have never approved of such conditions, much preferring a more austere atmosphere. On the other hand, it was nice to see modern technology again. A long time had passed since he last used a computer or watched TV; the last time being when he was still living his original life. Which life was he on now? He knew it was his third, but it hurt to think about it.

Currently, the year was 2077 but he wasn't sure if this was even his timeline. Ahead of himself, there were a few ways he could find out definitively but he swept those ideas away, not sure whether to pursue them. The realization came after his arrival here, having died and been cast out from the last world he lived in, and the one before that - his original life. The thought had crossed his mind before but he'd never seriously considered it until a week ago when he'd gotten here. But now, in hindsight, it all made sense. He couldn't die. At least not in the way he thought you were supposed to. The kind of death where everything goes black and its all over.

Forever.

But that wasn't what he had. What he had was curse. The burdens of memories of his past lives he could never escape, destined to stay with him for eternity as he awoke into a new world with every death. The first time it happened, he was glad to be alive again, but now he was beginning to realize the gravity of his situation. His first death was quick. Fortunately, the brief nature of a car crash had spared him the throes of death. Back then, he was a new driver at the young age of 16, not yet a man yet not a child but the challenges to come were sure to change that.

It was a stupid way to die.

He'd gotten too overconfident, thinking he could run a red light, chalking it up to the inexperience of his youth. Being an introspective person, it surprised him a little thinking about it. At that age, he was already much more sophisticated than his peers, showing an aptitude for rational thought and a sharp perspective insight. He had been blessed with being able to see the world and himself for what it really was. Was it even a blessing? However, those same aptitudes that had been bestowed upon him had also left him alienated from his peers, who he'd found too disparate from himself to be associated with, not that they wanted to associate with him anyway. In honesty, he was disgusted with the way most people acted - finding it to be animalistic, primal, and most of all selfish even if it was hidden behind a layer of humanity. It troubled him to no end because those same traits he despised and saw so much in others he discovered present in himself as well, perhaps not to the same extent but they still existed. Maybe, it was why he'd gotten into a car crash in the first place, why he'd let overconfidence get the better of him like he was some common fool. Maybe it was just the way of the world. Regardless, he always was the lone wolf and they were the sheep. The experience forged him into a man of few words, preferring to listen rather than talk, observing quietly from the sidelines - a behavior that he took up well and found complementary to his keen perception. At the time, sometimes he'd catch himself wishing to leave the world - tired of its flaws and imperfections.

 _Heh._

It seems he'd gotten his wish. His father was in the car with him then. Maybe he was spared the same fate. Why was he thinking about all this anyway? This was a new life after all. The point is to start over again isn't it?

 _Change is hell._

Wanting to escape his thoughts, he found himself on the bed, eyes closed.

Hopefully, the world was still the same when they opened.

* * *

 **Some backstory of Chronos. I edited the story name and summary so it more accurately reflects what I have in mind and the rating may become M as well. Also, please review if you are willing. I enjoy feedback of any kind.**


	3. Excursion

Streaks of morning sunlight fell over Watchpoint Gibraltar.

As much as Chronos enjoyed sleeping in, he had some errands to run and since there would be no assignments until the next day, this was the perfect time to do them. The first mission for Blackwatch since Overwatch's reactivation would be tomorrow and he was taking part in it. Apparently, the former commander of the division Gabriel Reyes, or "Reaper" is what they call him now, and a geneticist called Moira weren't around anymore and so they needed to fill the spots to get things running smoothly. Chronos fit the bill perfectly. He'd done some questioning earlier this morning in the mess hall and knew he was in with some members of the old Blackwatch before it got disbanded, Jesse McCree and Genji Shimada. The other three members were Hanzo, Pharah, and himself. Fareeha had shown Chronos her combat suit but she wouldn't be using that on Blackwatch missions, instead acting as the team's sniper. A fitting role considering how her mother is a sharpshooter.

Still being in the previous day's attire, or rather his only attire at the moment, he left the barracks and headed out through the base's tunnel exit. He stopped by several locations and checked out some new clothes. Wanting a more modern look of his old robes he picked up a t-shirt and a grey hoodie for his top with some black pants and running shoes to match. He bought additional clothes for when he was off-duty but decided this would be his go-to outfit; it wasn't exactly military gear but it didn't attract attention and he could easily blend in with the populace if need be; well-suited to covert ops. He could have it all modified with some low profile features and protection later when he got back.

Having gotten some new attire, Chronos turned his attention to weaponry. As much as he liked his bow and sword, they aren't really as practical as they once were in this day and age, although Genji and Hanzo make it work somehow. Most of the newfangled firearms in the nearest gunstore he didn't recognize. Not surprising, considering how much can change in several decades. Luckily for him, the place was stocking M1911s as part of their antique selection of firearms - a gun he was familiar with and, after a little under the table payment, something the store owner happily sold two of to him. Memories of all the times he went to the gun range with his father made him smile a bit. He was an okay shot back then but probably rusty now and definitely not as good as McCree. He also made sure to buy a miitary grade knife for general use and defense.

It was already the evening when he returned to Watchpoint. Now all he needed to do was get his gear combat worthy. Torbjorn was Overwatch's best engineer and would probably be able to help him out. He walked across the complex and into the Swede's workshop which wasn't too far from Winston's labratory. The sound of hammer against metal rang into his ears and out into the open air as the door opened. It was dark inside and it smelled of burnt coal. A soft blanket of light was being cast over the room from the hammered metal and the forge from which it came illuminating the vast array of sentry prototypes around the area, some unfinished and still revealing their delicate circuitry. Around the room, he could see some experimental armors and weaponry hung up on the wall and various engineering apparatuses to their complement. He was in the right place.

At the sound of the door, a short, stocky man stopped paused for a moment and then continued to hammer away at the glowing metal in front of him. "Who's there?"

"It's Chronos."

"Who?!" The recurring sound of the metal seemed to be drowning out his voice or maybe the man was just deaf from all his time working with machinery.

"Chronos!"

"Oh. Chronos." The Swede stopped what he was doing and turned around. "You're one of Blackwatch's new members right?"

"Yeah."

Torbjorn flipped up his welding mask and revealed his dark, coal-covered face. "What can I do for ya?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd be able improve my gear." Chronos showed him the stuff he brought.

"Let me see it first."

Torbjorn brought the garments to a set of tables in the recesses of the room; most of them were scattered with blueprints and notes relating to his creations so he set it down on an empty one. He flicked a switch on the wall giving light to the area around the tables and began to examine the items in question.

After a while, he finally spoke. "What do you want on it?"

"Well, I have two guns and a knife so could you make it concealed carry and add some hidden magazine pockets as well?"

"Did you bring the weapons with you?"

"I did." Chronos set them on the table.

"Good because I'll need to know their exact dimensions. Also will you be wanting some armor with that? Because I have just the thing for you and it's low profile too. Take a look."

From one of the tables, Torbjorn pulled out a thin sheet of material and handed it to Chronos.

"What is it?"

"My newest invention: a graphene-based bulletproof material. It's as thin and light as paper but can stop anything under 12.7 mm.

Chronos fiddled with the sheet in his hands. "Wow. So under .50 caliber?"

"You're American like McCree and Jack huh? Yeah, anything up to .50 caliber."

"Incredible." This technology was worlds ahead of the kevlar and heavy bulletproof plates of his time. It made him wonder what else he was missing out on.

"It's only good for a few hits though so don't be getting shot up by a machine gun or anything like that. And be wary of armor-piercing bullets."

"Even so, it's still amazing that you made something this light able to stop bullets. Why not just make it thicker?"

A little flattered that his guest thought so highly of his achievement, Torbjorn happily answered the question."Any thicker and the material would be too brittle. Any thinner and it would be easy to rip and shoot through. What you have right there is the sweet spot I discovered."

"Wow. I'll take it."

"Great! I've been in need of someone to field test it. I'll incorporate it into your clothes. Come back in a few hours and I'll have everything ready."

"All right then. Thanks Torbjorn."

"No problem, Chronos."

Chronos checked the new watch on his wrist. The briefing for tomorrow's mission was just about to take place.

* * *

Soldier 76 stood in front of the conference table and started up the hologram in the center of the briefing room. "All right everyone. Let's get this briefing started. A few weeks prior to today, we deployed agent Lena Oxton, most of you know her as just Tracer, in Russia to investigate the Second Omnic Crisis. She encountered a Talon operative, a hacker only known as Sombra. She got away and is believed to still be in the country but the short scuffle resulted in us coming across some new intelligence."

Soldier 76 expanded the hologram with his fingers and several pictures appeared. Everyone looked on with wide eyes. Volskaya Industries CEO, Katya Volskaya, could be seen recieving technology from an omnic arms dealer of some sort.

The betrayal emanating from the pictures was almost palpable. Genji knew it all too well."That's disgusting. She's supposed to be protecting her people."

All of it was reminiscient of a bad past for Hanzo. He chose not to say anything.

Soldier 76 continued. "As it happens, Volskaya Industries has been dealing with omnics under the table and profiting off the Second Omnic Crisis currently ongoing by selling mechs derived from the tech to the government. This information cannot go public or else we might lose our lead on those involved - that's why were sending in you. We believe this is connected to Talon in some way and possibly others at the moment but were working on getting new intel to clear things up. So, we're sending you to Russia to figure out what's going on. We'll work out what to do from there. Keep things as quiet as you can but do what you have to to get it done. We're also giving you untraceable phones to keep in contact with us and each other." Jack handed out the phones to the operatives. "Any questions?"

From his seat in front of the conference table, McCree spoke up. "What's the status on Tracer? Is she still in Russia?"

"Yes. She's currently going after Sombra. You can link up with her if you need any additional information, it's up to you." 76 responded.

Pharah pointed to the recurring omnic seen in the pictures. "Who is that omnic?"

"Unfortunately, we aren't sure. If you find out while you're over there let us know.

Chronos had something to ask as well. "Are there any other Talon operatives in the area?"

"Not that we know of but we'll keep you posted. Keep an eye out though. Any other questions?"

...

...

...

"Okay, then you're all dismissed. Make sure to be at hangar 18 at 0400 tomorrow for transfer."

Everyone got up from their seats.


End file.
